Favorite Reads: Stories featuring animals

 Baby Bear, Baby Bear, What Do You See?, written by Bill Martin Jr. and illustrated by Eric Carle, is a current family favorite. I was first introduced to this series when I was seven years old and my two-year-old sister got the original Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? book for Christmas. Baby Bear, Baby Bear, What Do You See? is probably my favorite of the series. I like baby animals, so it was an immediate win there. I also like the fact that this one is all animals (no humans). Emma and Johnny both love this book, and Emma had it memorized within a day or two.

David A. Carter’s Woof! Woof! makes clever use of shapes and was an instant hit with both kids. We all like the texture of the cut-outs on the pages, and Emma enjoys guessing what each shape is going to be. I’m currently loving minimal-word-count books, because Emma memorizes them almost immediately and “reads” them to Johnny (and herself) over and over.

We borrowed Hop! Plop!, written by Corey Rosen Schwartz and Tali Klein and illustrated by Oliver Dunrea, after seeing the Infant Bibliophile’s review. Emma loves this book, and reads it several times each day. Johnny enjoys the book’s use of onomatopoeias, and I like the way these two friends find a way to play together in spite of their size difference.

Sherman the Sheep, written by Kevin Kiser and illustrated by Rowan Barnes-Murphy, is a clever tale about how, while the grass may seem greener on the other side, you’ll probably be happiest where you already are. I’m pretty sure my kids missed the message (possibly because young children seem to naturally be happy with what they have), but they enjoy the pictures of the sheep and the places the sheep go.

See more children’s book reviews from this week at Mouse Grows, Mouse Learns.

Favorite Reads

When Dinosaurs Came with Everything, written by  Elise Broach and illustrated by David Small, contains all the elements of the perfect children’s book: a storyline that intrigues and entertains both children and adults, expressive illustrations, and a surprise ending. It’s a current favorite at our house.

In Footprints on the Moon, Mark Haddon relates his own childhood fascination with the moon. I really enjoyed the story, as well as Christian Birmingham’s illustrations. I do think, however, that this is a book that appeals to parents more than children.

Me Baby, You Baby, written and illustrated by Ashley Wolff, features adorable pictures of two toddlers visiting all the baby animals at the zoo with their parents. Emma loved the illustrations, and she quickly memorized the simple text.

I love the cut paper decorations in Susan L. Roth’s My Love for You All Year Round. This could be a good book to introduce the idea of months and/or seasons (if you live in the Northern Hemisphere).

Favorite Reads: Books Starring Animals

Written by Nancy E. Shaw and illustrated by Margot Apple, Sheep in a Jeep is a fun book whose humor begins with the simple idea of sheep driving a jeep. The story emphasizes the importance of paying attention to what you are doing, problem-solving, and facing consequences using short phrases and a fun rhyme scheme.

I love the excitement of an entire farm over the arrival of a single baby chick in Hurry! Hurry!, written by Eva Bunting and illustrated by Jeff Mack. Mack’s illustrations are adorably expressive. The minimal text makes this an ideal book for a very young child while the storyline is one of 3.5-year-old Emma’s favorites.

I read Owl Babies, written by Martin Waddell and illustrated by Patrick Benson, to Emma nearly every day until her second birthday or so, and this book is a current favorite of 18-month-old Johnny’s. I found this book at a local library while living in the UK, and I do wish we had the UK version or that they hadn’t “translated” the book into US English. Waddell is a British author, and I consider his original prose superior to the “translation” even if the changes are minor. The three baby owls who star in the story are adorable, and the storyline of worrying if their mother will return (she does, of course) is an emotion both of my separation anxiety prone children identify strongly with.

The Gruffalo, written by Julia Donaldson and illustrated by Axel Scheffler, is an illustrated poem that tells of a clever mouse who outwits every predator he meets. The book’s creative storyline and fun illustrations alongside smooth-flowing and highly accessible poetry make it one of my personal favorites.

Favorite Reads: Nature Books

My kids love the full-page pictures of bugs and other backyard critters in Backyard Detective: Critters Up Close by Nic Bishop. We haven’t spent a lot of time reading the text, but I do like the suggestion of using a paintbrush rather than your fingers to collect bugs. The book also talks about animals eating each other and suggests that you allow a portion of your yard to grow wild so as to attract more critters to your yard. I like the index at the back of the book – it includes the names of all of the critters in the book with thumbnail pictures and the page number(s) where each animal can be found.

Emma especially enjoys looking through this Smithsonian Handbook of Mammals by Juliet Clutton-Brock. There is a LOT of information about each mammal, as well as beautiful pictures. While the book is quite long (400 pages), it is roughly the size of a paperback book and so can be carried around and read by a toddler.

 

Emperor Penguins Up Close by Carmen Bredeson is the only “Zoom in on Animals!” book we’ve read, so I can’t comment on the series as a whole. The book gives a simple overview of penguins and the text is concise enough that my kids will sit and listen to it. The photographs are fine, but not great quality – a couple are even a bit out of focus but not enough to affect my children’s enjoyment of the book.

A Garden of Opposites by Nancy Davis is a simple picture book of opposites, but it takes place in a garden and I like the simple illustrations. Most of the opposites are well-done, but the classification of a spade as dull is a little problematic in my opinion, since spades can get quite sharp. The last page is a large fold-out where readers are instructed to find as many opposites as they can, and then the trail of a butterfly on the inside back cover lists all the opposites that can be found on said page.

Books my children fight over

 Dr. Seuss's ABC: An Amazing Alphabet Book! has long been a favorite at our house. Neither child seems interested in the text (Emma makes up her own alternate storyline), but both enjoy the pictures.

 First Picture Trucks by Usborne Books is a book I picked up from the library after seeing it reviewed at Chronicle of an Infant Bibliophile. It’s probably Johnny’s favorite book ever, and Emma likes it enough that she will accept it as a compromise when she can’t get any of the other three books on this list. I like the pictures and the quality of the paper the book is made from.

My Little Word Book by Roger Priddy has been fought over many times. Both kids like looking at and discussing the pictures. It’s a great “I spy” book for children too young to spy an object out of a mix of objects. This book also has nice, thick board book pages.

Disney's Once Upon a Time with  Mary-Kate & Ashley is a library book that Emma checks for every time she’s at the library, and that we have to return surreptitiously if we don’t want a scene. She has borrowed it at least three different times so far. It’s your classic Disney story collection, with “clip art” (Mike’s term) of Mary-Kate and Ashley inserted with occasional quips from the girls. Not my favorite book in the world, but I do give it credit for being the first multi-sentence book that Emma would sit through, and it puts her to sleep nicely at bedtime. Emma is convinced that the photos of Mary-Kate and Ashley are actually pictures of herself… Johnny loves this book too – he likes the Disney pictures and the fact that Emma squeals whenever he starts to read it.

Favorite Childhood Reads

In honor of Children’s Book Week, I thought I’d list a few of my favorite childhood books:

Written by Janette Sebring Lowrey and illustrated by Gustaf Tenggren, The Poky Little Puppy was probably my all-time childhood favorite. I don’t know that I cared about the story much, but I loved the illustrations.

I don’t have a copy of Gus Was a Friendly Ghost (written by Jane Thayer and illustrated by Seymour Fleishman, but I remember liking it enough that I wrote my name in it (probably without permission; I considered all pink and purple books my property because those were my favorite colors, so logical…) I also remember the rat having a lot of personality, maybe being a bit rude at times?Gus & the Baby Ghost, also written by Jane Thayer and illustrated by Seymour Fleishman, is another book that I’m pretty sure I wrote my name in. This is another book that I haven’t seen since I was six years old (we moved and I think the book got left behind). I loved the idea of there being baby ghosts, and I was fascinated by the idea of learning how to take care of babies from a book. I think this book inspired my later obsession at age 6 or 7 with a vintage copy of Dr. Spock’s baby book that I found on our home bookshelf.  

I also remember loving a book about a kitten chasing its tail and sleeping in the sun, but I have no idea what the book was called.

Favorite stories from collections of stories whose titles are also forgotten include a story about the buds a Pussy willow branch coming to life as a bunch of tiny gray kittens and another story about dolls coming to life once their owners fell asleep. Anyone know the title of either story?

And yes, I was a girly girl (really the only one from six girls in my family) if this post hasn’t already told you that…

What favorite books do you remember from your childhood?

Favorite Reads: Non-fiction series for toddlers

A few non-fiction series we’ve been enjoying in our home.

Written by Dana Meachen Rau, the Bookworms Tools We Use series covers a wide range of professions, from doctors and EMTs to artists, builders, and librarians. The photographs and short sentences held my daughter’s attention well, and she likes learning more about grown-up professions. These books would also be a good choice for a beginning reader.

Robin Nelson’s First Step Nonfiction books are great science books for a toddler or a beginning reader. Each page has a picture accompanied by a short sentence. Each book also has a few extra facts at the end of the book, where I learned a few science facts I didn’t know!

Acetate transparency pages grab children’s attention in the Scholastic First Discovery series. My family discovered these books while living in France, where they were brand new releases (by Gallimard jeunesse) nearly twenty years ago. The books fascinated me as a nine-year-old, although my parents purchased the books for one of my younger siblings. The target age range is 0-7 years for the French editions or 4-8 for the English editions. The books are identical as far as I can tell, so the age recommendations must be culturally-based. Both Johnny (16 months) and Emma (3) thoroughly enjoy looking at these books. I still have one of my family’s original French books, and I was thrilled to find English versions for sale in the US!

What non-fiction books do your children enjoy?

Favorite Reads

 

Laura Vaccaro Seeger’s Lemons Are Not Redis the first-ever book to get Daddy approval in our house. I love the textured colors in this book, and the focus on colors in nature. I would LOVE to see this book released as a super-durable board book – the cutouts have taken some abuse from my fifteen-month-old son. I’ve seen this book featured on a few other blogs recently; it seems to be a favorite in many households.

Come Back, Cat, written by Joan L. Nodset and illustrated by Steven Kellogg, is Emma’s pick for the week. She is fascinated by this story of a little girl learning how to be friends with a cat, and “reads” the story to herself nearly every day. This is a great book for teaching toddlers how to interact with pets.

Little Quack, written by Lauren Thompson and illustrated by Derek Anderson, is another of Emma’s favorite books. Discussing how Little Quack overcame his fear of swimming has helped Emma overcome a few of her own fears. Derek Anderson’s ducklings are darling, and this is a fun book to read with a child who is learning counting or basic addition and subtraction.

I love the expressive illustrations in Very Hairy Bear, written by Alice Schertle and illustrated by Matt Phelan. This book is a great book for seasons as we see the bear’s life throughout the year.

Books to help toddlers prepare for new siblings

With baby #3 on the way and a very interested three-year-old in the house, we’ve been reading a lot of “baby on the way” picture books. Here are some of our favorites:

It seems like there are many, many more books about biological than adopted babies. I love the impatience and love of big brother Arun in Bringing Asha Home, written by Uma Krishnaswami and illustrated by Jamel Akib, as he waits for his adopted sister to arrive from India. This book does a wonderful job of portraying the bond and love that exists between adopted siblings and their parents just as it does between biological ones – even before the child arrives.

Baby on the Way, written by Martha Sears, William Sears, and Christie Watts Kelly and illustrated by Renee Andriani, feels like a “What to Expect when Mama’s Expecting” book for toddlers. I don’t read the book word-for-word, and my daughter isn’t old/curious enough to care about the “answers for the very curious” sections, but I do think this book has helped Emma gain a better understanding of what pregnancy is, and this is a book that she definitely enjoys reading and discussing.

Newborn, written by Kathy Henderson and illustrated by Caroline Binch, is a book that I love for its illustrations. The words come across as a bit clunky and somewhat abstract for children, but the pictures are exquisite – expressive, warm, and loving.

Are there any other "baby on the way" type books that you recommend?

Amigurumi World: Seriously Cute Crochet

 

I should start by saying that I have very limited crochet skills. I’ve always stayed away from counted crochet because, while I may be good at math, I can’t count and crochet to save my life.

Then I came across Ana Paula Rimoli's Amigurumi World, and decided that the animals in it were cute enough to make counting stitches worth my while. I randomly picked the monkey, which turned out (I think) to be the biggest animal in the book – this guy is over 10 inches tall! I think I’ll stick with the smaller animals from here on out, but big was good in a way since I didn’t have any tiny details to worry about as I re-learned how to single crochet (for the umpteenth time). There are clear illustrations on how to make each stitch at the front of the book, and this guy required only basic stitches.

The book uses small buttons for eyes, but since my kids are still small I embroidered them on instead to eliminate any choking hazards.

Looks like I’ve acquired a new hobby :)

Great Reads for Little Ones

I checked out We're Going on a Bear Hunt, written by Michael Rosen and illustrated by Helen Oxenbury because I had fond memories of seeing my father read it to some of my younger siblings (my youngest sibling is 15 years younger than I am, and there are five others between us). I love the illustrations in this classic story of kids off on an adventure with Dad.

Storm is Coming!, written by Heather Tekavec and illustrated by Margaret Spengler tells of how a farmload of animals take shelter in the barn because there is a storm coming. The animals are relieved when it gets dark, because Storm won’t find them. The animals tell one another that the rain will wash away their tracks, and lightning will blind Storm. Sure enough, it is the farmer and not Storm who appears when the sun comes out. Cat’s reaction to the entire situation lends additional humor.

I was already planning to review Click, clack, moo: Cows that type, written by Doreen Cronin and illustrated by Betsy Lewin, when my 19-year-old sister brought it up during a phone conversation as a great book. So this is a story that charmed me as a mom, my two toddlers (Johnny moos along with the cows), and my single, college student sister. After all, what is not entertaining about cows that type?

I’ve mentioned before that Emma loves the alphabet. Z Goes Home by Jon Agee is an alphabet book that she and I both enjoy. I like the idea of the letter Z from a Zoo sign going home at the end of the day. The letters of the alphabet are cleverly built into the landscape as Z journeys home, and I like the homely atmosphere when Z arrives home to his alphabet family.

Books

Three picture books with wonderfully expressive illustrations and heartwarming tales:

In If I Were Your Mother, written by Margaret Park Bridges and illustrated by Kady MacDonald Denton, a little girl tells her all the great things she would do if she and her mother switched roles. It’s the kind of thing Emma would tell me about, and I love the ending. Actually, the end makes me cry, but I tend to be crazy emotional that way.

Hamlet in Will You Read to Me?, written and illustrated by Denys Cazet, loves to write poetry, but his fellow pigs see only a misfit. Just as he reaches despair upon being abandoned by his pond reflection twin, Eggs, Hamlet discovers an entire audience of appreciative listeners.

New dinner guests just keep showing up in Pigs Love Potatoes, written by Anika Denise and illustrated by Christopher Denise, and Mamma just keeps on adding potatoes. For any  The author’s story was inspired by the piggy drawings made by her Redwall-series illustrator husband, as well as the antics of their two daughters, and this husband-and-wife team’s book shines with family togetherness and neighborliness.

For older children:

Knowing I’m always on the lookout for books to listen to on CD, my mother recently recommended The Mysterious Benedict Society by Trenton Lee Stewart. I accidentally got the sequel, The Mysterious Benedict Society and the Perilous Journey instead, but I enjoyed listening to it enough that I checked out the first book as well – which I also enjoyed. Both books center around four extraordinarily gifted children who have some extraordinary adventures. I’m not sure which genre the books fall into – but it’s a charming combination of fantasy, mystery, and adventure. Emma must have even picked up some portion of the story, because she ran around the house for a couple of days pretending to be an orphan (I don’t think she knows what “orphan” means beyond the fact that two of the four children are orphans).

Fun recent reads

Hands : Growing up to Be an Artist, by Lois Ehlert, tells of Ehlert’s experience working on art projects alongside her mother and father. The simple text conveys a clear story, and Ehlert’s photographs make mundane objects – even a pencil and ruler – beautiful. Besides, I’ve always had a soft spot for children’s books with interestingly-shaped pages.

Zippers, Buttons, and Bows, written by Moira Butterfield and illustrated by Peter Uttonis an activity book with a basic plot of children getting ready to go outside. Emma was able to fasten the button with no trouble and the zipper with some help. She’s a little young to tie a shoe, but she enjoyed playing with the laces. I have one small pet peeve with this book. The snap (for our edition at least) is the plastic type found on cloth diapers, and it was too difficult for my daughter to snap or unsnap. The difficulty of doing and undoing this type of snap is exactly why it’s a popular feature on cloth diapers (keeps the diaper on where velcro won’t), but I wish for this book they had used an easier to do and undo metal snap. Of course, that may have led to greater wear and tear on the pages…

Cinderlily: A Floral Fairy Tale, by David Ellwandand Christine Tagg, tells the classic Cinderella story with a flower sultan searching for the most beautiful bloom. The story itself is nothing exceptional, but I love the combination of photography and illustration, and Ellwand’s flower people look like they are really dancing.

Whoever You Are, written by Mem Fox and illustrated by Leslie Staub (also available in Spanish), is the best diversity-themed book I’ve seen. Staub’s colorful illustrations caught both of my children’s attention immediately, and my two-year-old likes this book so much that she can recite it from memory. I love the book’s message that, while we may be different from one another in many ways, we are all the same where it really matters: in joy, love, pain, tears, smiles, and hearts.

Books for All Ages

I've been a fan of Karen Katz ever since we got Where Is Baby's Pumpkin? as a freebie with Emma's Halloween costume last year. We recently borrowed Ten Tiny Babies from our library, and both I and the kids enjoy reading it. The babies are very cute, and one baby gets added on each page - making it a fun counting book as well as a bedtime routine story. Now, if only my kids went to bed as peacefully as these ten adorable tots...

Both Make Way for Ducklings and Blueberries for Sal are books I remember loving as a child, but I only recently realized they are both written by Robert McCloskey. Living near Boston, it's fun to picture a family of ducklings bringing daily traffic to a halt, and the story of Sal and a baby bear switching mothers comes with wonderfully expressive illustrations.

Newbery Honor book Across Five Aprils by Irene Hunt starts right before the American Civil War. The protagonist is a perceptive, intelligent nine-year-old boy named Jethro, and through his eyes Hunt reveals the complexity of war with incredible compassion and sensitivity. I like to listen to recorded books while cleaning the house and playing on the floor or making art projects with the kids, but I find it hard to find interesting stories that don't have language or scenes that are problematic for a two-year-old to hear. This one was perfect - complex characters and a completely engaging plot involving a difficult subject told in such a way that it might instruct, but would not lead to nightmares even if Emma chose to listen. This is definitely a book I'll be reading aloud to my kids when they get a little older, probably more than once.

Happiest Toddler on the Block - Book Review

About a year ago, a friend emailed me a New York Times review of this book and asked what I thought. My initial reaction was pretty similar to that of the many people who gave this book one star reviews on Amazon. I didn't like the comparison of my adorable 1-year-old to a caveman; it seemed down-putting and disrespectful.

A few months later I was in the library with my kids (now slightly-more-prone-to-acting-out 2-year-old daughter and baby boy) when I saw the DVD version of the book on the shelf. I picked it up and checked it out. The DVD definitely had some kitsch elements - it includes toddlers dressed in caveman outfits - but the results shown on the video were interesting enough that I decided to check out the book. Seeing the video helped me understand what Karp meant in his written description of toddlerese, so I would recommend looking at the video in addition to reading the book, if possible.

I finished the book this morning - nine weeks after starting it with many interruptions in between - and I have to say, I'm sold. I don't do the full-out toddlerese Karp describes, but his "fast-food rule" has made a huge difference in our house. This morning, for example, Emma wanted to eat her gingerbread house and started to cry because I wouldn't let her. I said, "You want eat gingerbread house." (note this was a statement, not a question). She answered, "Yes". I said, "Mama says, no eat gingerbread house." She let out one last yell, "I want gingerbread house!" to let me know she didn't like that, and then stopped crying and happily ate the grapefruit I offered instead. The entire exchange lasted thirty seconds at the most. I use complete adult sentences with her the rest of the day, but I have found Karp is right that leaving out all unnecessary words works better when reasoning with an upset toddler.

Toddlerese is one of a variety of parenting strategies Karp discusses in the book - it has gotten the most attention because it is the most original component of the book. Karp also discusses knowing - and working with - your toddler's temperament, keeping cool during a toddler meltdown, using "respect and rewards" to encourage good behavior, spending quality time with your toddler ("time-in" he calls it), the importance of outdoor play, how/when to use time-outs, how/when to remove privileges, and how/when to ignore inappropriate behavior.

If you don't have time to read the entire book, start with the second half - Karp recommends this. The first half is mostly about his toddler as caveman philosophy whereas the second half focuses on practical advice. Contrary to my inital reaction, after reading the entire book I feel that Karp has a lot of empathy and respect for toddlers - and is trying to help parents convey their empathy and respect to their children without giving in to their every whim.

There is a 2008 revised edition of the book, but I haven't read it and so can't comment on any changes. I would love to hear positive or negative reactions to this book from any other parents who have read it (either edition).

Has anyone used the book,The Happiest Baby on the Block? After my experience with the toddler book I just may check out the baby book the next time I have an infant in the house...

Some favorite children's books

I'm always looking for ways to occupy my kids on bleak winter days. Books are one of my best resources, so I thought I'd highlight a few recent finds:

Everywhere the Cow Says "Moo!"
This story talks about how different animals make different sounds in different languages, but how the cow always says "Moo!" It holds true for every language I know, and my kids enjoy the illustrations and love mooing along for the cow pages. My son even started mooing along at 11 months!

Miss Bindergarten Stays Home From Kindergarten
I love all the details in each picture, all of the different animals, and the fact that there is a class member with a name starting with each letter of the alphabet. This is one of a series of "Miss Bindergarten" books.

A is for Artist
My daughter loves the alphabet and we check out alphabet books every week at the library, but this is my favorite so far. It's one of the most visually diverse books I've seen, and my kids fight over it every morning.

The Night is Singing
This book turns all of the potentially scary night noises into lullabies, and I love the expressive faces.

Book review

I recently checked the book Flannelboard Stories for Infants And Toddlers
by Ann Carlson and Mary Carlson out of my library. I've been looking for the perfect patterns for my flannelboard. This one didn't provide that - I'm looking for silhouettes only - but I really like the book, because it had some great ideas of activities to do with infants and toddlers using very simple pictures. The pictures could be great mounted for a flannel or magnetic board, but I had a great time just going through the book with my 11-month-old son. I also used the book to work on speaking French with my nearly-3yo daughter, and she seemed to be catching onto the concept of using a spoken foreign language better than she had in the past. She has been signing words since she was 10 or 11 months old, so she understands that you can say things in more than one way, but up until today she just laughed at me when I tried speaking French to her (obviously I haven't been very consistent in trying to establish a bilingual environment). Today it seemed like she was listening...

The pictures are simple yet expressive, and I feel like they would photocopy or trace very well.